On Tuesday, February 11th, the Department of Education conducted a workshop on early childhood education best practices, particularly for preschool and kindergarten teachers. The facilitator for the workshop was Dr. Janis Strasser, a former Professor of Early Childhood Education at the William Patterson University in New Jersey.
Dr. Strasser annually volunteers her time for such workshops while vacationing in Anguilla. Consequently, she is well-known and was welcomed by many of the teachers who benefit from her valuable lectures year after year.
In speaking about the assistance that Dr. Strasser provides to the Department of Education, Mrs. Susan Smith, Education Officer, Primary and Preprimary, stated: “Dr. Strasser has been volunteering her time and expertise to assist us in strengthening the capacity of the knowledge of our early childhood teachers, and for that we are truly grateful.”
Chief Education Officer, Mr. Bren Romney, expressed his views on the importance of training for childhood education, and also applauded the commitment that
Dr. Strasser shows in equipping preschool and kindergarten teachers.
He remarked: “We recognize the importance of early childhood education and do our utmost best to provide what support we can. Training and ongoing support for the pre-primary sector is very important. It is an area which we need to focus more attention on because childhood education is the foundation of a child’s development.
“Many of you teachers would realize the importance of teacher training. This is a concern that has come up a number of times on one-on-one conversations with teachers at the pre-primary level. We are looking at how best we can address that need for those of you who need additional training.”
Mr. Romney went on: “We are also looking at the funding models that we have in place to support those training programmes and we want to see how we can strengthen those models. This will require some capacity building at your respective childhood education institutions.
“We want to look at the relationship we have as teachers with the community and, in particular, the home. As preschool teachers you are uniquely placed. You are at a point in a child’s educational development where parents tend to be more attentive to the development of their young ones, and to be more involved. So, I would like to encourage you to continue to capitalize on that level of attention.”
“Lastly, I want to say a hearty thanks to Dr. Strasser for her commitment to your training. I appreciate the fact that she is here on vacation, but yet takes the time on an annual basis to conduct these training sessions. On behalf of the Ministry and the Department, Dr. Stasser, we appreciate your level of sacrifice and commitment.”
Mr. Romney also expressed gratitude for the work of Education Officer Mrs. Susan Smith and the President of Early Childhood Education, Mrs. Julet Simon.
In introducing Dr. Stasser, Teacher Dawvier Gumbs stated: “Dr. Strasser has published more that 50 journal articles, several book chapters, and co-authored two books. She was the recipient of the 2014 Excel Silver Award for Teacher Articles in a Journal. She also received the 2010 Outstanding Early Childhood Teacher Education Award, as well as an award for Teacher Educator and Researcher of the Year in 2005. In addition, she was the recipient of the William Patterson University’s Faculty Excellence Award in 2004.”
The training workshops will be held in four sessions, on every consecutive Tuesday until March 10th 2020.
– Staff Reporter, James R. Harrigan
